Lineage II: Elf

At first glance… This picture made me doubt whether or not she’s human or computer generated…

Mei Wai is a pretty famous Chinese cosplayer, ad this is a photo that can give you a pretty good idea as to why. Her long limbs and model like figure makes her look so perfect that it’s simply inhuman… or perhaps the perfect term would be… goddess-like!

Beautiful cosplay! Go and check out Mei Wai’s Live Spaces for more of her jaw dropping beautiful photos!She could probably change anyone’s minds about cosplaying to be for geeks or nerds…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, lineage 2, Lineage II, elf, light, meiwai, mei wai, live, windows, spaces, cosplay, goddess, inhuman, cosplayer, geek, nerd

Hunter x Hunter: Kurapika

No matter what anyone says, this cosplay is both impressive and scary to me.

Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter, is the last living member of the Kuruta tribe. The Genei Ryodan (aka Phantom Troupe) destroyed the Kuruta Tribe because of their rare “scarlet eyes”; eyes which would change to flaming red when they are angry or emotionally agitated and a priceless treasure among body-part collectors.

Revenge prompted Kurapika to enter the Hunter Exams in order to become a Blacklist Hunter and kill all the members of Genei Ryodan. In order to hide his eyes by wearing black contact lenses.

Stunning cosplay! Kurapika is one of my favorite anime characters! A bit memorable too. I remember one time, when I went to an anime convention, a Kurapika cosplayer on stage brought a heart shaped ballon to the stage. I was one of the many otaku photographers near the stage and for whatever odd reason, the cosplayer gave the balloon to me! Haha! It was so embarrassing! But flattering too!

Excellent cosplay! And I love the blood red eyes.

Image originally from Anime Illusions.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, kurapika, cosplay, cosplayer, anime, convention, hunter x hunter, hunter, blacklist, genei, ryodan, scarlet, eyes, phantom, troupe, priceless, blood, anime illusions, otaku, photographer

Tenjou Tenge: Nagi Souichirou

Nagi Souichirou, the bully of the anime Tenjou Tenge, who fights without honor. In spite of that, he still draws the line when it comes to hitting women. Ironically, he doesn’t believe that fighting can solve anything. After he enrolls in Todo Academy, he realizes how weak he really is, and decides to train with Natsume Maya.

This is probably the first time I saw a cosplay that’s prettier than the anime character. Though I’m not entirely sure about Tenjou Tenge, the character outline for Souichirou seems to be very interesting indeed.

Great job with this cosplay! I think I can safely say that guys can do cosplay as well as the girls can, with this picture as proof.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, tenjou tenge, tenjho tenge, souichiro, souichirou, nagi, natsume, maya, cosplay, honor, anime, manga, bully, todo, todou, academy

Final Fantasy X: Yuna 04

I was surprised to see the response of people from Sanriotown with my Cosplay Blog. But I didn’t think I could get to feature a Sanriotown Member as one of the cosplayers..!

I came across this picture from Luty’s Blog and immediately emailed her to ask if I could feature her. She sent me her original photo. She happily accepted my request, and this is what she has to say about her cosplay:

And the very last?

Is Yuna, from FF X! This one i?ve made everything!! Cutting, sewing, painting little flowers! It was a lot of work, but I love to do this kind of thing! And here you can see that I was with sore eyes too, like Raein?. XD

From: Luty Mishima

Very impressive! One of the best home-made cosplays I’ve ever come across! And her sore eyes doesn’t really show on this picture…

Great job, Luty! I hope I get to see more of your cosplays soon!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, lutymishima, luty, mishima, sanriotown, yuna, final fantasy x, summoner, cosplay, home made

Gundam Seed: Athrun Zala and Cagalli Yula Athha

I believe it was back in Gundam Seed when Cagalli first wore the costume she’s wearing in this picture. I can’t remember it too well, but with the controversy of who Athrun really ends up with at the end of Seed Destiny, I’d prefer to label this “Seed”.

This is really quite a sweet picture… Although it’s obvious Athrun is portrayed by a girl..! Maybe less eye make-up next time for Athrun.

It’s still a pretty and cute cosplay… I hope you guys enjoy this too!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, gundam, seed, destiny, cosplay, athrun, zala, cagalli, yula, athha

Prisoners Dancing to Haruhi-ism

Remember that time I posted a World-Wide version of the Haruhi Dance? Well, now the Philippines is in the spotlight. The very same prison that brought you Michael Jackson’s Thriller and the Algorithm March give you… Haruhi-ism!

This is apparently just practice… Should be interesting to see if they perform this seriously.

This is making me think I’m missing something for giving up on the anime… I need to try and find time to watch it again.

Article found from Kotaku and Dark Diamond.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, the melancholy of suzumiya haruhi, suzumiya, haruhi, haruhism, kotaku, dark diamond, prison, cebu, philippines, algorithm marck, michael jackson, thriller

Air Gear: Wanijima Akito a.k.a. Agito

I got to watch a few episodes of Air Gear last weekend, and I really loved it. It’s amazing what they can do on those skates (air trecks)..!

But the character Wanijima Akito / Agito amused me the most.

He is an ordinary boy who was forced by his older brother, Kaito, to violence for the benefit of his Wind SWAT Team. Not wanting to be a part of it anymore, he created his violent alter ego called Agito.

Agito took over the title as “Fang King” and Akito became a mediocre rider of ATs. After being rescued by Minami Itsuki, aka “Ikki”, he became one of the founding members of Kogarasumaru. Akito becomes Agito when his eye patch is covering his left eye.

Here’s an interesting trivia… I found this picture from Deviant Art, and the photographer’s account name is Shiroin. I found out that he is also the photographer behind the Card Captor Sakura picture I posted back in July. Make sure you go check out Shiroin’s Gallery for more great cosplay pictures!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, air gear, cosplay, shiroin, deviantart, wanijima, akito, agito, air trecks, at, fang king, minami, itsuki, ikki, kogarasumaru, card captor sakura, ccs, gallery

Death Note: Amane Misa

The famous model, singer, actress of the anime “Death Note”, Amane Kisa devotes her life to the first Kira, Yagami Light, for killing the people who murdered her parents. She posses the Shinigami Eyes, allowing her to know a person’s name and life span when she looks at their face, particularly, their eyes.

I’ve been wanting to watch Death Note for a while now… Unfortunately, I’m missing the copies of this anime from my recent stash…

Moving on, this is an impressive cosplay of Misa-Misa. She may even rival Toda Erika from the live action film of Death Note in terms of appearances. I really don’t like Erika’s brown hair in the film, since I’m such a perfectionist in cosplay…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, amane, misa, misa-misa, first, second, kira, yagami, light, shinigami eyes, shinigami, life span, death note, anime, cosplay, toda erika, hirano aya, live action, film, movie

Fruits Basket: Souma Momiji

This image just made me go “Awww~”…

I found this on Deviant Art. This is a cosplay of Souma Momiji from Fruits Basket by clefchan. You should go check her gallery out! She has really impressive cosplays and arts as well! Clicking on the image will bring you to her page where she posted this image in a higher resolution.

A bit of Fruits Basket Trivia for you: Did you know that Momiji is the 2nd of the 12 Cursed Souma family members to break his curse?

Anyway, really cute cosplay! clefchan’s really got the character down, especially the really cute expression..! I love the rabbit detail she put on her knee high socks… And the white rabbit on her shoulder is a nice touch! Great photography by Ryuu!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, souma, sohma, momiji, cosplay, fruits basket, rabbit, ryuu, deviantart, clefchan, trivia, gallery

Bleach: Kuchiki Rukia 03

Rukia seems to be a favorite among cosplayers… This is the third Kuchiki Rukia I’ve seen so far, and all of them are quite impressive to me…

This Rukia cosplayer even has a Soul Candy dispenser. I don’t remember too well, but Rukia wasn’t able to get the “Chappy the Rabbit” version until later in the series…

When I think about it, yeah, it may have been a duck…

Nice cosplay… and have you guys noticed that among the Rukia Cosplayers, each of them have a different interpretation of her hairstyle..? Not that it’s such a bad thing….

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, bleach, anime, manga, chappy, rabbit, duck, soul candy

Final Fantasy X: Lulu

The black mage of the Final Fantasy X game, Lulu (or “Ruru” in the direct Japanese translation) carries a dark past within her, being once the Guardian of the fallen Ginnem. And now her duty falls with Yuna the Summoner and her team.

Lulu’s character design breaks the common connotation of a typical black mage character in the Final Fantasy series, making her a favorite amongst cosplayers…

This picture blows me away. Although I believe this girl is actually a professional model with a professional photographer. None the less, it’s quite impressive, though I had the impression that Lulu’s make-up would be darker than this… This cosplayer doesn’t give that “dark aura” that Lulu gives.

But maybe that’s just me…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay. cosplayer, lulu, final fantasy x, ruru, ginnem, yuna, summoner, black mage, dark, model, photographer, professional

Gundam Seed: Lacus Clyne

It’s hard to determine whether a cosplayer is from Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny now a days… Since both Destiny is a sequel for Seed, they have the same set of characters without much difference in costumes…

I think this version of Lacus Clyne is from Gundam Seed. I can’t be certain though, because I’m basing it on the time I found this photo…

Lacus Clyne is an Idol Singer and a huge influence in PLANT, where the coordinators live. In the beginning of the series, she is engaged to Athrun Zala mainly for political reasons… The two of them actually get along pretty well, but Lacus meets Kira Yamato during the Bloody Valentine War and falls in love with him, breaking of her engagement… Lacus is also the person that Meer Campbell is imitating under the orders of Chairman Gilbert Durandal, so that he can sway the people to follow his orders.

Pretty cosplayer for a pretty girl. I want her pink Haro… Did I mention Haros are Athrun’s gifts to Lacus? Since she always has her Haros with her, I wonder if she really has no more feelings for Athrun?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, gundam seed, gundam, lacus, clyne, destiny, athrun, zala, kira, yamato, chairman, gilbert, durandal, meer, campbell, politics, haro

Gensomaden Saiyuki: Genjo Sanzo

I think people will forever debate that Japanese and Asian Cosplayers use Photoshop to manipulate their photos to look the the character they’re portraying…

I’m not denying the some images look Photoshop-ed… But when you think about it, Movie Stars, Singers, and other types of Hollywood Celebrities do that too… More accurately, they have someone else to do it for them.

Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that… I mean, it is just a photograph… Just hope that no one knows what you really look like and hey, you’re good!

Going back to the featured cosplay of the day, here is Genjo Sanzo from Gensomaden Saiyuki (based on the Chinese novel “Journey to the West”). It’s pretty hard to top this cosplay. He looks really cool! I guess his hair could be a little blonder, but who cares? He makes a great Sanzo!

Image taken from the Anime Illusions Forums. Note that the URL has changed, the forums are now on the new domain called anime-illusions.net (with an “s” in illusions).

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, asian, japanese, gensomaden, saiyuki, genjo, sanzo

I’s: Yoshizuki Iori 02

While I was looking through my old files, I came upon another picture of Iori. At first, I thought it was the same girl as before, but now, I’m not really so sure…

I’m really bad at recognizing faces… Quite honestly, when I meet someone new, it takes me about a week before I match the name with the face… Haha, yes, it is that bad!

Anyway, before I make myself a laughing stock of this community (again), it seems another debate will follow… Which Iori is better? This one on the post, or the previous one I shared back in July?

Personally, I like them both… Both cosplayers have similar features… And I think both look like Yoshizuki Iori… That’s the versatility of anime and manga I guess…

What do you guys think? You can do a side by side comparison by clicking the I’s Category if you want.

Technorati tags: nanao, research, i”s, i’s, iori, yoshizuki, manga, anime, cosplay, cosplayer, compare, debate

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi World-Wide Dance Group

Apparently, the world loves the S.O.S. Brigade more than I thought. The video clip shows a world wide variety of people who memorized the dance of the ending theme in The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi.

I found it hard to take in (the anime series) and dropped the series after 5 or so episodes. Apparently, I may have to give this series another chance, as it has taken the world by storm. I’d hate to be left out once it does take over the world, would you?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, haruhi, suzumiya, melancholy, dance, ed theme, ending, theme, world, youtube

Project Justice: Rival Schools 2: Himezaki "Zaki" Aoi

A classic game from a classic console, the Sony Play Station days brings back great memories.

This game has been discontinued I believe… Rival Schools is a typical Capcom Fighting game, with cool characters and a lot of interesting story lines for each character.

Zaki is from the school called Seijyun Jyogakun. She is one of Kazama Akira’s friends and when strange occurences began happening to their school (and most importanly, Akira’s brother Daigo), they decided to investigate. Akira first thought that Zaki’s famous gang known as the “Ladies’ Team” might help them in their investigation, but the due to the attacks to their school by Daigo’s Gang, they had to defend Seijyun Jyogaku instead.

Although she is a gangster, Zaki once belonged to the Flower Arrangement Club and the Tea Ceremony Club. I suppose this is what gives this character such an appeal to cosplayers. She’s a strong girl, who doesn’t loose herself in battle.

Lovely cosplay on this one… Even though her hair should be all red instead of black and red. I’d much rather have black and red hair than sticky all red hair. (Some temporary hair colors do that).

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, rival schools, capcom, playstation, sony, games, classic, fighting, seijyun, jyogakun, akira, kazama, daigo, ladies’ team, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, club, gangster

Mai Otome: Nina Wong and Yumemiya Arika

Another anime I’m not familiar with, but rather impressed with the cosplay, Mai Otome’s Nina Wong (or Wang is it?), top Coral student, rival of Yumemiya Arika, a newbie to Garderobe who dreams of becoming an Otome like her mother.

Mai Otome is a sequel to Mai Hime, though the settings are different and the main characters are also different. The main characters’ goals are to become Otomes, royal guards to various kingdoms. Apparently, only female virgins can become Meister Otomes as they are chosen by the old technology nanomachines.

Interesting concept… though I think I shall stick to cosplay rather than the anime itself… I have too many on my list already…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, mai otome, my otome, mai hime, my hime, nina, wong, wang, yumemiya, arika, gardobe, otome, meister, nanomachine, technology, anime, cosplay, royal, guard

Sailor Stars: Tsukino Usagi

Remember what I said about this blog not being biased about Western Cosplay? Well, here’s proof to back that up.

This is probably one of the best Sailor Moon Cosplays I have ever come across. She’s just really pretty and she’s got the costume right (instead of the usual knock offs)! I love the way she did her hair, it’s really gorgeous.

This picture is credited to Cosplaylab.com. I was able to find this thanks to Maya, who replied to Morbid Optimism defending the Americans against his topic “Americans Shouldn’t Cosplay“. Morbid Optimism posted some really nice Japanese Cosplay pictures, you should check it out. I’ll be posting some of those pictures here too (as well as the not so nice American ones), and give him full credit for finding them first of course… ^_^

Oh~ I’d also like to mention that Megamisan sent me Adella’s Gallery for some nice cosplay photos of Adella. We have the same taste in cosplay! ^_^

EDIT: Thanks to anon for letting me know this is also Saraqael's work!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, sailor moon, sailormoon, usagi, tsukino, west, western, cosplaylab, morbid optimism, americans, maya, megamisan, adella, deviantart

Transformers Cosplay(?!)

Yes, you heard that right. It’s a Transformers Cosplay. Frankly, I’m speechless. These guys really spent a lot of time and effort on their cosplays.

It’s really something else… I especially like the Optimus Prime one. I was so amazed that I thought it would be worthy to put as a double post for the day.

Enjoy!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, transformers, optimus prime

Final Fantasy X: Yuna and Tidus

Now here is a scene recreation I am familiar with… I’ve never played Final Fantasy before, but I saw this scene in a game convention. The only difference between the game scene and this one is that in the game, Tidus and Yuna were in the water at night… Here, the picture was taken during the day… Probably because the water looks really, really cold right now, what more during the night?

I think Yuna’s crying more for the fact that her beautiful cosplay costume is now all wet, than the scene recreation itself. I would cry if my photographer were to tell me I needed to get my costume ruined for the sake of a shot. T_T But that is just me… And besides, this cosplay is great! Definitely one for the books!

EDIT: Thanks again to SoL for letting me know the Yuna in this picture is Shibata Ina aka “Shiba”!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, final fantasy x, tidus, yuna, cosplay, scene, recreation, games, shibata, ina, shiba

Guilty Gear: Kuradoberi Jam

If it’s hard to cosplay anime characters, I think it’s harder to cosplay game characters… Why? Because characters in video games are usually strong martial artists. This means your body needs to be toned and trimmed in order to convince the audience that you are that game character.

Kuradoberi Jam from Guilty Gear may not be a 3D rendered character, but she sure looks like it in this picture… I’ve never played Guilty Gear, but I have had a glimpse of this character from the anime Genshiken (an anime about otakus on their ventures of manga and cosplay. Interesting, no?)

Beautiful cosplay… The choice of Chinese patterned silk instead of plain fabric (same with the game’s original character design) was a good call. I wonder how she got her hair to look that way..?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, guilty gear, jam, kuradoberi, cosplay, game, anime, manga, genshiken, otaku, chinese, silk

Chobits: Sumomo

Remember what I said about kids cosplaying? It just gives you a warm fuzzy feeling, even if they don’t know how to pose well for the camera…

You can tell she’s having a hard time keeping her pose… Can’t blame her, I hard a hard time balancing on one foot when I was a kid too…

Wait… I’m still a “kid”… at heart? (I know it’s lame, but forgive me, I couldn’t resist because I’ve been hearing lame jokes all day…) ^^

Sumomo’s hair is suppose to pink (same with the character on the tambourine), but I wouldn’t dye kids’ hair would you? And letting them wear a wig is also hard for them, since wigs are quite hot… But nonetheless, I think this is a cute and impressive cosplay, don’t you?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, chobits, sumomo, kids, children, wigs, tambourine

Full Metal Alchemist: Edward Elric and Colonel Roy Mustang

A child who wanted to revive his lost mother, and a military officer searching for answers to impossible questions.

Both characters are very arrogant, yet Edward became part of the military because of Roy, and then became the youngest State Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist.

It was a few years ago when this anime swept the nation, and there were Roy Mustangs and Edward Elrics in anime conventions left and right. This is one of my favorite images of the two characters because of the attitude in the photo. Ed always over-reacts when he’s called “short”, and Roy is always high and mighty in the anime. These two cosplayers definitely captured the character’s personalities really well! Nice work!

Technorati tags: nanao, research, full metal alchemist, alchemist, fma, edward, elric, ed, colonel, roy, mustang, cosplay, cosplayer

Bleach: Kuchiki Rukia 02

Here’s a pretty famous cosplay image that’s been going around anime communities lately… Kuchiki Rukia seems to be one of the cosplay favorites in the otaku world… Some of them leave a lot to be desired while others just leave you with a feeling of awe.

Though I’m not too sure what to think of this image… There’s a bit of digital editing on this image, especially on her hair. Makes you wonder what else was edited.

Though, I’m not really complaining. She portrays the character really well, so I like it, regardless of my critique… I love her eyes… er… “eye”.

I think I will contribute this to

Technorati tags: nanao, research, bleach, kuchiki, rukia, otaku, cosplay

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi: Suzumiya Haruhi

Another redundant title, same with my Inuyasha entry… I find it rather amusing that the titles of the anime are the same with the character’s… Makes me wonder if they had a hard time thinking about a proper title or something…

Not that I’m complaining of course..!

I suppose the only critique I can give about this photo is… her smile… It looks a bit forced, but I’m guessing it’s because of the unnatural pose/look..?

*look in the mirror trying to smile and wink at the same time without distorting any facial muscles*

Yeah, it’s possible alright, but extremely hard to look natural. But the risky pose is worth it; I think she really captured Haruhi’s feisty nature… She looks like she’s up to something again… I wonder it’s aliens? Hm…

Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, suzumiya, haruhi, melancholy, inuyasha, critique, smile, aliens